Old St. Peter's Church, Tacoma

Old St. Peter’s Church is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the area, dating back to 1873. Its founding is tied to Bishop Benjamin W. Morris and George E. Atkinson, superintendent of the Hanson & Ackerson Mill. Local tradition says the church was built in only seven days after Atkinson pressured residents to help, while the town’s saloons reportedly stayed closed until mid-afternoon so the work could get done.

Before the church was completed, Bishop Morris held his first local service in a Chinese laundry, one of the few indoor spaces large enough for the crowd. Its early features included an 1874 pump organ, bought at auction and later paid off through lessons and concerts by Anna Wolf, a young Jewish pianist who became the church’s first organist. That same year, a 965-pound bell arrived from Philadelphia and was hoisted by sailors onto the topped trunk of an old tree, creating the church’s unusual bell tower.

For visitors, Old St. Peter’s is a small but meaningful historic stop. Its wooden form, stump bell tower, old potbelly stove, and 1903 stained-glass window of St. Peter reflect both frontier life and later parish history. Often noted as the oldest existing building in the city still standing on its original footprint, it remains an active church rather than a museum piece.